10/07/2026
| G R E A T D A N E W I N E S |
Looking back, I donโt think wine ever stopped calling.
It simply took me thirty years to answer.
Back in 1995 I was fortunate enough to do my apprenticeship at Munkebjerg Hotel in Denmark, which included a Michelin guided restaurant (Tree Top) and one of Europeโs biggest private owned wine cellars.
Every day I walked past bottles like Pรฉtrus, Chรขteau Lafite Rothschild, Grand Crus of Chambertin and countless others. At the time, I didnโt fully appreciate what surrounded me, but looking back, it was impossible not to become curious.
To a young apprentice, the sommeliers were every bit as intimidating as the chefs. They seemed able to describe wines in ways I couldnโt even begin to understand. They taught me that Chardonnay could be a canvas, that Shiraz could be savoury rather than simply fruit-driven, and that beautifully aged Bordeaux could carry musky, woodyโeven โwet dogโโaromas that somehow added to their complexity.
I left that apprenticeship with far more than I realised at the time.
Years later, a bottle of Crozes-Hermitage changed the way I thought about wine. It wasnโt one of the great wines of Margaux or a Grand Cru from Bourgogneโthe wines Iโd been taught to admire. It was restrained, savoury and beautifully balanced. That bottle sparked a fascination with the Rhรดne. As I discovered wines like Chรขteauneuf-du-Pape, I became captivated by the harmony of Rhรดne blends and the way each variety could contribute something unique without ever competing for attention.
With hindsight, I realise those wines didnโt change what I admired; they changed the wines I wanted to make.
I left Denmark as a chef and moved to France to further my educationโall with gastronomy in my heart. I just didnโt realise that wine would spend the next thirty years quietly following me.
Life has a way of keeping you busy.
A career, moving to Australia, family.
There was always another reason to wait.
Until one day I realised there would always be another reason.
So I stopped waiting.
After thirty years in professional kitchens, it finally felt like the right time to stop talking about great wineโฆ
โฆand start making it.
โ Steffen Jensen
